black

Pronunciation: /blak/

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Definition of black

adjective

1of the very darkest colour owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white:black smoke her long black hair
(of the sky or night) completely dark owing to the sun, moon, or stars not being visible:the sky was moonless and black
deeply stained with dirt:the walls were black with age and dirt
(of a plant or animal) dark in colour as distinguished from a lighter variety:Japanese black pine
(of coffee or tea) served without milk: a mug of black coffee Doyle took his coffee black
of or denoting the suits spades and clubs in a pack of cards.
(of a ski run) of the highest level of difficulty, as indicated by black markers positioned along it.

2 (also Black) belonging to or denoting any human group having dark-coloured skin, especially of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry: black adolescents of Jamaican descent
relating to black people:black culture

3characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair or pessimism:five thousand men were killed on the blackest day of the war the future looks black
(of a person’s state of mind) full of gloom or misery; very depressed:Jean had disappeared and Mary was in a black mood
(of humour) presenting tragic or harrowing situations in comic terms: ‘Good place to bury the bodies,’ she joked with black humour
full of anger or hatred:Rory shot her a black look
archaic very evil or wicked:my soul is steeped in the blackest sin

4denoting a covert military procedure:clearance for black operations came from the highest political level

5British dated (of goods or work) not to be handled or undertaken by trade union members, especially so as to express support for an industrial dispute elsewhere:the union declared the ship black

noun

1 [mass noun] black colour or pigment:a tray decorated in black and green
black clothes or material, typically worn as a sign of mourning:only one or two of the mourners were in black
darkness, especially of night or an overcast sky:the only thing visible in the black was the light of the torch
(Black) the player of the black pieces in chess or draughts: Black’s king’s defences are somewhat weakened
[count noun] a black thing, in particular the black ball in snooker.

2 (also Black) a member of a dark-skinned people, especially one of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry: they tend to identify strongly with other blacks

3British informal blackcurrant cordial:a rum and black

verb

[with object]

1make (something) black, especially with polish:the steps of the house were neatly blacked
make (one’s face and other visible parts) black with polish or make-up so as not to be seen at night or to play the role of a black person in a play or film:white extras blacking up their faces to play Ethiopians

2British dated refuse to handle (goods), undertake (work), or have dealings with (a person or business) as a way of taking industrial action:the printers blacked firms trying to employ women

Phrases

black someone's eye: hit someone in the eye so as to cause bruising: a woman capable of blacking the eye of any guest who wanted to slip out before the end
black-on-black: denoting harmful actions in which both the perpetrator and the victim are black:the American media was saturated with stories of black-on-black violence
in the black: not owing any money; solvent: an insurance company operating in the black will be able to pay for further growth
in someone's black books: informal in disfavour with someone.
look on the black side: informal view a situation from a pessimistic angle: I was looking on the black side and thought I would get a sentence of five years
men in black: informal anonymous dark-clothed men who supposedly visit people who have reported an encounter with a UFO or an alien in order to prevent them publicizing it: men in black suddenly appear on a UFO witness’s doorstep
the new black: a colour that is currently so popular that it rivals the traditional status of black as the most reliably fashionable colour:brown is the new black this season; something which is suddenly extremely popular or fashionable:retro sci-fi is the new black
not as black as one is painted: informal not as bad as one is said to be: Robert’s character could surely not be as black as Dawn had painted

Phrasal Verbs

black out: undergo a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness: they knocked me around and I blacked out
black something out

Derivatives

blackish
blackly
blackness

Origin:

Old English blæc, of Germanic origin

Black has been used to refer to African peoples and their descendants since at least the late 14th century. Although the word has been in continuous use ever since, other terms have enjoyed prominence too: in the US coloured was the term adopted in preference by emancipated slaves following the American Civil War, and coloured was itself superseded in the US in the early 20th century by Negro as the term preferred by prominent black American campaigners such as Booker T. Washington. In Britain, on the other hand, coloured was the most widely used and accepted term in the 1950s and early 1960s. With the civil rights and Black Power movements of the 1960s, black was adopted by Americans of African origin to signify a sense of racial pride, and it remains the most widely used and generally accepted term in Britain today. In the US African American replaced black in many contexts during the 1980s, but both are now generally acceptable.

black in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of black in the US English dictionary

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Other

black

adjective

noun

verb

Phrases

black someone's eye

black-on-black

in the black

in someone's black books

look on the black side

men in black

the new black

not as black as one is painted

Phrasal Verbs

black out

black something out

Derivatives

blackish

blackly

blackness

Origin:

black in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for black

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